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Thursday, 4 September 2014

Guest Post - The Phoenix Blade Origin - Andrew Hess

Today I am very pleased to welcome Andrew Hess to my blog to talk about the origins of and the characters in his book series The Phoenix Blade.

The Phoenix Blade origin

by Andrew Hess

Plot and
Characters

The idea for The Phoenix Blade Series began in 2005 in New Paltz, NY. I was a naive college kid that worked for Blockbuster Video, so obviously I spent most of my time watching endless amounts of movies. Two of them in particular were Michael Moore documentaries which gave an alternative outlook to the U.S. government. It made me think there was a lot the government did that its citizens didn't know about.

The story originated as a group of friends carrying out vigilante justice against corrupt politicians and greedy corporate leaders, but it evolved into a fictional government conspiracy where someone on the inside hacked emails and recorded phone conversations to get a young naive group to work for him covertly.

This was supposed to be a one and done book with no intention for any sequels that was until I dreamt of a new ending. A happy ending didn't seem like a realistic option for the group and what I dreamed gave me the idea to stretch the book out into a series which has the third installment in its rewriting phase.

Characters

Andrew LancasterThe Andrew Lancaster character was originally created as an extension of my own thoughts about right and wrong, truth and justice. I needed to create someone that I could easily get to know so I based Andrew Lancaster’s attributes, thoughts and his interactions with his friends off of me. His family life and the death of his mother was designed to illicit an immediate reaction of sympathy toward his character rather than thinking this kid is an idiot for trusting some guy he’s never met.

Mike SantangeloAlmost everything about this character was based off of my actual best friend. The character was created to be the friend to watch Andrew Lancaster’s back, to be some comedic relief, and the one to urge Andrew to continue (kind of like the little devil that sits on your shoulder telling you to do something you shouldn't).

Lilly HendersonShe is the love interest for Andrew Lancaster that was loosely based off of another friend of mine. While Lilly took on many of the physical attributes my friend has, Lilly’s personality and emotional rollercoaster evolved throughout the rewrites and became vital to the story. Her purpose was not only to be the love interest for Andrew Lancaster, but also to be the voice of reason to him and the rest of the group (the angel that sits on your shoulder trying to steer you into doing the right thing).

There are many more characters that I could go on about, but I think the fun will be in reading what happens.

What would you do if everything you said and did was monitored and used to force you into working covertly for the government?

College student Andrew Lancaster has had enough of corrupt politicians and corporate greed, but his anger filled rants may have gone too far. When Lancaster is contacted by a government official calling himself “The Benefactor,” he learns his private communications have been monitored. And there will be consequences.

Lancaster is given a choice; join forces with the government he distrusts, or face a treason indictment. As an added incentive, he’ll receive the answer to a question that has plagued him since childhood-who killed his mother.

It is something Lancaster cannot live without knowing and enlists as an undercover operative in Project Justice. At first the mission seems ideally suited for his do-gooder attitude. But Lancaster soon discovers the tactics he’ll be using are not only dishonest; they’re deadly.

Lancaster learns he will be an assassin; eliminating targets the Benefactor and other high ranking officials deem to be evil.

The Phoenix Blade #2: AwakeningAmazon US | Amazon UK
The Benefactor has been arrested, the Phoenix is dead and the group known as the Revolution has been disbanded for nearly three years. Witness the fallout from the biggest government conspiracy the U.S. has ever seen as the President faces treason charges. But there are those that don’t want him to make it to trial. As the group known as the Committee plans out their attacks, a familiar face begins eliminating the former members of the Revolution.Facebook

Andrew Hess is a resident of Long Island New York who likes to spend much of his time travelling between Long Island, New York City and the Dutchess County areas. In 2011 he debuted with his first book Chamber of Souls, a small book of free verse poetry which depicted the struggles of a man who thought he had everything in the world only to feel like he lost everything after a rough break-up. In 2013, Andrew debuted his novel The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice; the first in The Phoenix Blade series.

Andrew is also a blogger at TheWritersRevolution13 where he interviews and promotes other authors in order to assist indie authors get more exposure. Andrew is also a frequent guest on the Anthony Charles Podcast, a show dedicated to creative professionals as they give insight into their works and the lives they lead; guests have included authors, comedians, musicians, stuntmen, actors and producers.

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